He is a composer and songwriter born Frederick Emil Ahlert in New York, New York. He studied at the Fordham Law School and City College of New York before getting a job with publishers where he created musical arrangements for orchestras. He contributed compositions to Vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley publishers and soon gained recognition.

His first hit song was “I’d Love To Fall Asleep and Wake Up in My Mammy’s Arms” which he co-wrote with Joe Young and Sam Lewis and he would later have a further hit with Joe Young with “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”. He collaborated throughout his career with other lyricists such as Roy Turk and Bert Kalmar and Sam Lewis.

His music was used in several musicals in Hollywood with songs such as “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, “Marianne” and “Walkin’ My Baby Back Home”.

He became a Director of ASCAP in 1933 and retained that post until 1948 when he was elected President.

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